Today I'll be riding on Munich's newest train company - Westbahn, trying out this new route
in the upper-deck Comfort Class. I'll be sharing a little known trick for getting the best fare,
and reviewing this innovative low-cost service.
Hello and welcome back to another video. Today I'm here in Munich, and I'm going to be travelling
with the private operator Westbahn all the way down to Vienna. Westbahn is a private operator
here in Germany, and they started off in Austria quite a few years ago running between Vienna and
Salzburg. However, recently they've started running over to Munich, providing a through
service all the way from Munich to Vienna. And I'm going to be travelling on-board this service
in Comfort Class, which is a class between Second Class and First Class. I've not tried
out the Comfort Class on Westbahn before, so it's going to be a nice experience - let's go!
M nchen Hauptbahnhof, or Munich main station, is the third busiest station in Germany, as
well as this, it also boasts the highest amount of tracks, with 34 platforms for passenger traffic.
The station sees all manner of services, from international, to high-speed services all across
Germany, and of course local trains. This station really does have it all!
The elevated area near the lounge is a great way to watch the bustling concourse below.
At the moment, the station is undergoing a large overhaul
to help it cope with the many passengers that rely on it from day to day.
Fast food and hot drinks outlets can be found scattered around the concourse. In the underground
area at the north of the station, you can find many more options, including a supermarket.
The station is well connected with public transport,
such as by these trams, as well as these rather unique two-carriage buses.
The S-Bahn and U-Bahn commuter systems also serve the station.
My train today is WB 969, the 13:48 to Wien Westbahnhof, departing from track 6,
a good few minutes walk from the main concourse.
Until recently, most trains on the Munich to Vienna route were formed of BB Railjet sets,
operated by the Austrian national operator. Westbahn operates in competition with these
trains, and often has much lower fares - more on the journey pricing later on.
My train is arriving with the service from Vienna. It's one
of four train pairs operating on the Vienna-Salzburg-Munich route.
All Westbahn services are operated with these brand-new double-deck Stadler KISS units,
built in 2021. The fleet consists of 15 six-car trains, which are capable of 200km/h (125mph).
First Class and Comfort Class can be found in the two driving vehicles,
with Standard Class taking up the remainder of the train.
Time to get on-board. I've bought a ticket in Comfort Class today,
with a reservation on the top-deck.
Comfort Class is set up in a 2+2 layout, with all seats situated at a table.
My seat today will be Coach 11, Seat 124A.
Today's route starts in the centre of Munich, departing from the southern
platforms at the main station. Firstly, we run non-stop from Munich to Salzburg,
with a brief wait there, before continuing through Austria to Vienna's west station.
The trip is scheduled to take 4 hours and 6 minutes,
to cover the 459km (or 285 miles) of track.
Departure from Munich is on-time, at 13:48.
The journey begins with a great view of the complex trackwork of M nchen Hbf. We also
pass under the 1890s 'Hackerbr cke' just after departure, as we continue to run through the city.
It's clear to see just how much investment has gone into the area here,
with large modern buildings visible from the train. It's not just the buildings either,
with many brand-new trains also visible.
Not long from departure, we branch off the westbound mainline
towards N rnberg and Stuttgart, and make a 180 turn to head east.
Before we look at anything else, here's the so-called 'Relax Check-in' feature. Every seat
on the train has a QR code, which allows you to validate the ticket and journey yourself,
meaning that you aren't disturbed during the journey. Using this feature
also earns you extra points in the loyalty program for Westbahn.
Just ten minutes later, we arrive into M nchen Ost,
or Munich East station. This serves as another pickup point for the train. As the name suggests,
this caters to a different area of the city, across the River Isar in the east.
Soon, the journey continues, as we depart on a non-stop run
through south eastern Bavaria, and across the border to Salzburg.
It seems I've got very lucky today, as I've ended up with this entire section to myself,
so let's waste no time at all in checking out the interior.
We'll start off with the seats,
which are covered with a smart looking black leather. They look really good!
They're also thoughtfully adorned with stitching in the colours of Westbahn's corporate brand.
The comfort is pretty good, as whilst there isn't so much padding,
the well optimised ergonomics more than make up for it.
The backrest is particularly nice too, and also features a winged headrest at the top.
As I mentioned earlier, all seats are at a table in Comfort Class, which is
ideal for doing work, or just spreading out a bit.
It also serves to counterract the Standard Class' somewhat tight legroom,
especially if it's less busy.
All seats are equipped with generously padded and large armrests.
Beneath these you can find two European power sockets, though
be aware that bulky plugs may struggle to fit when the armrests are lowered.
The recline on these seats is massive,
and really allows you to relax when in its fully extended position.
At the end of all carriages, you can find a lounge area.
I think this is a great idea, especially for groups on shorter journeys,
but personally I can't imagine many use this area on Comfort or First Class trips.
Our journey is progressing smoothly,
as we run at up to 160km/h (100mph) towards the Austrian border, and the Alps mountains.
We're now passing through Rosenheim, a major junction station in the region,
mostly served by regional trains, as well as some international trains.
Anyway, let's have a look around the rest of the train.
Moving through to the adjacent carriage, we first come across the toilets, which,
unusually for a train are gender segregated.
In the men's room, you can find a standard vaccuum toilet,
as well as rather uniquely, a vaccuum urinal - something I've not seen before.
I have to say, these toilets were immaculately clean, and the disinfectant,
soap, water, and hand-dryer were all working perfectly fine.
Moving on to a Standard Class coach, you can see that the interior is broadly the
same as Comfort Class, but with airline style seating instead.
At the end of this carriage, there's a WESTcaf . This is a self-serve catering area,
where you can dispense various drinks and snacks.
The selection is decent, with beers, soft drinks, as well as a few sandwiches on offer.
You can see the full selection on-screen now.
I opted to have a hot chocolate.
Payment is accepted only by card, or with Westbahn's loyalty points.
This tasty purchase set me back 2, which I think is really good value considering the high quality.
Our journey continues along the scenic line between Munich and Salzburg,
running through stations such as Traunstein along the way.
This is Lokwelt Freilassing,
a railway museum dedicated to showcasing the history of railways in the region.
This means we are at the border to Austria, with Freilassing being the last station in Germany.
With a beautiful crossing of the river Salzach, we're now
just around the corner from Salzburg's main station, our next calling point.
Salzburg Hbf is a beautiful station,
with its modern roof being a smart finish to this busy international rail hub.
A rather nice touch at this station is how they left one segment of the historical station canopy
in place, with the rest being removed in 2014 as part of a modernisation process.
After a very short stop, the journey continues east towards Vienna.
To the right of the train is the Wallersee, a lake in an area popular for hiking and camping.
The next station is V cklabruck. The town has a population of just
12,000 people, making it one of the smallest places served by Westbahn.
Westbahn's fleet is equipped with free on-board Wifi, which is easy to connect to.
Unlike most on-board Wifi networks, though, this one was lightning fast!
It's even fast enough to keep up with your favourite Youtuber's latest releases!
For luggage space, you're best off using the space between seats,
which has plenty of room for storing items, unlike the overhead luggage racks,
which would probably just about manage to fit a book.
Window blinds are found at every seat, though the mesh isn't dense enough to be of much use,
and between all windows is a pair of coathooks.
On this section of the route, our train can finally reach its top-speed of 200km/h (125mph),
speeding through minor stations such as Neukirchen bei Lambach.
We carry on to serve Wels, one of the biggest cities in Austria,
before continuing to run at speed.
Just under fifteen minutes later, we arrive at Linz. This city is the capital of the
Ober sterreich (or Upper Austria) region, and the third biggest city in the country.
The station has connections to many Austrian destinations,
as well as EuroCity trains to Prague.
On this trip I bought a WESTsuperpreise, which is a ticket valid only on the specific
train I chose during booking. This set me back 23.99, for a Standard Class ticket.
I also paid the upgrade fee for Comfort Class, which normally costs 9.99. However...
There's a special offer for holders of European railway discount cards...even
foreign ones, like my 16-25 Railcard from the UK!
This gives a discount of 50% on the upgrade fee, resulting in a total price of 28.98.
For this 285 mile journey, that gives a price per mile of about 8p, which I
think is fantastic value for money, especially considering how empty my part of the train was!
Four hours after leaving Munich, we arrive into Vienna.
The first calling point here is Wien H tteldorf.
I must admit I was impressed with Westbahn on this journey. I think their services will
be very much appreciated on the Munich-Salzburg-Vienna corridor,
thanks to their great value fares. Westbahn is an innovative company, with some interesting ideas,
such as the self-serve caf s and of course the acceptance of foreign railway discount cards.
Our arrival into Wien Westbahnhof is delayed by about eight minutes, terminating at 18:02.
So, what do you think of Westbahn? Leave a comment below with your thoughts,
and if you enjoyed this video on one of Stadler's double-deck units,
then you're going to want to watch this video on screen now, about one of their
newest single-deck trains, a Stadler FLIRT running through the mountains of Switzerland.
Thanks for watching, and I look forward to seeing you again on my next journey!